Prince Harry returns to London on Monday for a children's charity gala. But the question on everyone's lips is whether after years of tensions and hurt he will meet his father, King Charles III.
The last time the self-exiled prince saw Charles was in February 2024, when he flew back from his home in California after learning that his father had been diagnosed with cancer.
The two men met only briefly at Charles's residence, Clarence House, before Harry returned to the United States having stayed the night in a London hotel.
Now 76, the king has been having regular treatments for his undisclosed form of cancer. But the rift between father and son has yet to heal.
Harry has returned to the UK three times since then, but has not met with Charles despite making a heartfelt plea in May.
"I would love reconciliation with my family," he told the BBC, adding tearfully: "I don't know how much longer my father has."
He confessed his dad "won't speak to me... but... it would be nice to reconcile".
The message may have prompted Charles to reach out to his youngest son, to see if their fractured ties can be mended.
Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, stepped back as a working royal in 2020 with his wife Meghan, heading to a new life in North America with their baby son Archie.
But on July 9, the king's press secretary Tobyn Andreae, a former deputy editor at the UK tabloid the Daily Mail, and the prince's new head of communications Meredith Maines were spotted meeting in London.
A photo of them sitting together, accompanied by Harry's UK spokesman Liam Maguire, on a private terrace was published in the Mail on Sunday stirring speculation that after years of estrangement something was afoot.
According to the Mirror newspaper, the two men may have "a simple face-to-face conversation between a father and his son".
- 'Fragmented family ' -
Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on the speculation. But royal watchers are not ruling out a meeting.
"I think reconciliation is on the cards," historian and royal commentator Ed Owens told AFP.
"I think Buckingham Palace and the king have recognised that it is in the king's interest as a public figure to look to reconcile with his son," he said.
"It will be seen as managing to knit back together this very fragmented family which for too long with its various tabloid stories, gossip, and scandal has distracted" from the king's reign, he added.
Harry will take part in an awards ceremony on Monday night for the WellChild charity, recognising "the remarkable resilience and heroic qualities" of seriously ill children.
He also has several other engagements lined up during the week, his spokesman said.
Charles is due to be in Scotland on Saturday for the traditional annual Highland Games close to his Balmoral Castle.
"The big question is, if the king and Prince Harry meet up, where would it be?" said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine.
- 'First steps' -
The pow-wow in July between the royal aides "did show there is a channel of communication", he said.
"The king still very much loves Harry. But clearly, a lot of unpleasant things have happened in the past few years," he added.
The royal family was shaken by revelations made in Harry's biography "Spare" and in an explosive interview with US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey, alleging among other things that unnamed relatives had made racist comments.
Harry's older brother Prince William, heir to the throne, was particularly angered by several criticisms against him and his wife Princess Catherine.
Harry acknowledged to the BBC that "some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course they will never forgive me for lots of things."
Meghan has not returned to Britain since the death and funeral of Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022.
The couple's children, Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4, were last in the UK for celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the queen's reign the year before.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said any meeting would be far from prying eyes and would just be "the first steps" in any reconciliation.
But he stressed William is completely opposed to welcoming Harry back into the family fold.
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